What Do You Mean It Doesn't Stand For Zebra?

I wouldn't say I'm any sort of Zorro afficianado, but I am glad I purchased Isabel Allende's Zorro while I was visiting Alex.

The book doesn't cover much of Zorro's struggles against oppression and injustice in California. Instead the book starts with how Diego de la Vega's parents met, proceeds through Deego and Bernardo's childhoods, into adolescence, and at the very end, we see Zorro in all his glory, struggling against abuse of power by Spanish officers in California.

Which isn't a bad thing, since it seems most Zorro stories focus on him in California, a man ready to be a vigilante. Allende decides to focus on what shapes the boy who will become Zorro, and show us how he gradually becomes the figure he's generally thought of. Diego draws from many different sources to create Zorro. His mother led Indian revolts against the Spanish (and was defeated by Alejandro de la Vega), and even if she stayed largely in Spanish society, she made certain her son learned from her culture as well, and his name is drawn partially from a vision he has during a test. Diego spends 4 years studying in Barcelona, where he's introduced to more ideas about freedom and equality, and also develops his cover of being a weak-willed fool. He also befriends a tribe of Roma, who teach him their horseriding tricks, and further strengthen his resolve to defend the oppressed, as they are frequent targets of persecution. Both sea voyages, from California to Spain and back, offer some lessons for Diego, which help refine his style, and maybe force him to face some harsh realities. Though it's equally likely Diego would refuse to accept those realities, preferring instead to try and change them.

Allende spends time at least partially fleshing out other characters, and the role they play in Diego's development. The character that receives the most attention is Diego's loyal "brother", Bernardo. The old TV show had left me the impression that Bernardo's role was essentiall that of information gathering. Everyone assumes the fellow who won't talk* can't possibly understand them, so they just blab all sorts of story-advancing things around him. Allende shows Bernardo as being calmer, more in control of himself than Diego, which aids in his inconspicuousness, but also makes him more observant, because he isn't being caught up in the emotion of a moment. He's roughly as physically gifted as Diego, a bit more dependent on strength than agility, but that enables him to also take an active hand in fighting injustice, though he seems to do so more out of a concern for Diego than a great desire to change things. He doesn't get swept up in grand notions of intangible concepts. It served to help solidify his place in the story for me.

There are villains in the piece, one Rafael Moncada in particular. The story is being written by someone who lived through some of the events, and never had any affection or trust towards Moncada, and I can't decide whether that helps the story or hurts it. It places Moncada squarely in an adversarial role from the moment he's mentioned, where it might have been interesting if we were uncertain whether what was described as villainy was just Diego's jealousy for Moncada, who had set his eyes on the same young lady Diego was smitten with. But almost immediately it's confirmed that Moncada is, at the very least, dishonest, and willing to cheat to woo the young lady. But maybe that's for the best. We know from the moment he's born that Diego will become Zorro, so maybe it's only proper his arch-foe be established as such from the beginning as well.

* In this story, Bernardo is originally mute from a traumatic incident, then later mute mostly by choice.